Auburn man hospitalized after rolling truck on interstate, police say

OLD TOWN, Maine — An Auburn man was sent to the hospital Monday night when his pickup truck rolled over on Interstate 95, according to the Maine State Police.

Lance Palmer, 43, was heading southbound around 5:30 p.m. when he lost control, hit high-tension cables on the left-hand side of the highway, which slingshot the truck back across the southbound side before it came to rest in a ditch, state police Trooper Jonah O’Roak said Tuesday.

The high-tension cables, which are designed to withstand serious impact, according to O’Roak, likely prevented Palmer from crossing into the northbound lanes of the highway. The accident occurred just north of the Stillwater Avenue exit.

Palmer, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the vehicle, but it did not land on top of him, the trooper said. There was snow and slush on the highway at the time of the crash. Speed was likely a factor in the crash, O’Roak said, a reminder that motorists should slow down in inclement weather.

“People need to remember to drive slow,” O’Roak said.

Palmer was transported to Eastern Maine Medical Center for injuries not considered life-threatening. His pickup truck was demolished.